Spotty's Road to Slimdom

[Kat1e]

Hi Spotty,
My thoughts if they are of use:

Tummy woes- atkins recommended physillium husks in induction. I tried the powder originally - yuck! Then found the capsules in H&B - 2 per day to start, then down to one. Then i discovered mims. Half a mim a day seem to work and rather tastier than pills also meant i was having a small bit of "cake" or "bread" everyday.

Does atkins work - the reason that A suggested 20g and a clean induction was MOST people kickstart their loss on this. Not everyone and may be different if you have done it before. They key is that if you haven't at least tried the clean two weeks it's really difficult to find what's wrong.

I've looked on your diary on mfp and from my perspective you are eating a lot of sf "frakenfoods" - based on what i've seen on this board over the last 8 months, they are the most likely problem! Problems:
1. You still want that sweet flavour - that was a hard habit to break. In fact when i allowed myself one tiny sf biscuit for tea every day in the summer hols, i discovered i "needed" it thereafter. That was after 7 months previously without. Took me at least a week to get over it!
2. Not all sf is the same - all the different sweetners do different things to different people - so only one might be your problem - but you'll have to test each item individually!
3. The atkins bars are dangerous - they may say 2/3 net carbs but they often have approx 20g of polyols which are a type of carb. If they are impacting your blood sugar at all - then they will make you want more sweet things as well as stalling you! There are alternatives - some of lcm cookies have zero net carbs and 2/3 total carbs ie polyols. Even if they impact you it's nothing like as much as a bar. My other favorite is the cavalier chocolate - again low in polyols for just a square or two. Suggest you start looking at the full carb load on these sf items
4. How about going non processed - as part of my "relaxed induction" i added berries after the first 2 weeks. I counted the carbs in my 20g. That met my sweet tooth (with cream of course )

I agree that if a diet restricts too much then you can never stay on it. If you can do a proper clean 2 weeks that would be great. If not why not jump straight to owl 30g or so, dump the sf products and use berries to meet sweet tooth?

Hope you find the right path for you
Good luck
Xxx

 

[spottydoris]

Hi Katie,

Thanks for that - some really helpful tips in there. I will definitely cut the Atkins bars... I've got a few at home, but I think rather than having one a day, I will just stuff them in a cupboard at home for emergencies only!

I will also check the sweeteners I am having.

So - from now onwards (well, until I see a change and know what's what) I will:

- cut out Atkins bars

- limit my only 'sweet' fix to home made jelly (not the ready made pots)

- try and avoid things like pepperami, salami etc - and concentrate on 'real meat' only (anyone know if smoked salmon is 'real' or processed?)

- avoid 'processed' cheese like cheesestrings, and concentrate on hard cheeses and the odd babybel (they are just edam/cheddar aren't they?)

- cut out salt as far as possible (definitely not added to food, cooking)

- be much stricter with myself when it comes to citric acid

- try and eat mostly 'salad' leaves rather than 'veg', for a while

- keep a store of Atkins snacks (chopped hard boiled eggs, sliced cheeses, meats etc and full fat mayo)

THEN - if I see the weight start to fall, I will try and introduce things like my Elmlea squirty cream and see if that does anything... then maybe the odd bit of salami etc...

What do you all think??

SD xx

 

[Quak]

Sounds like a good plan to me SD, you obviously need to find what it is that is doing the damage and this is a good way to start

 

[JCH_WK72]

Hi SD, Katie's given some great observations and advice there. I was stalling all week after my 2lb gain and went completely clean and green, cut out all the atkins bars etc and even tried mightmonacle's advice of upping the fat, so its more than protein and hey presto, 3lbs gone today, so whether its just a coincidence or not. Also try the Epsom salts for the bowels for a really quick movement. Its an old fashioned remedy but I guarantee it works...

 

[Kat1e]

Hi spotty, sounds like a plan

You might want to keep the leafy greens as they help bowels more than salad

Onwards and downwards!
Xx

 

[spottydoris]

Also try the Epsom salts for the bowels for a really quick movement. Its an old fashioned remedy but I guarantee it works...

I've got some somewhere I think... what do you do with them? Are they gross?

lol xx

 

[spottydoris]

Hi all... Well, forgot to post my weigh in yesterday... probably will come as no surprise that I STS. 12st 12lbs.

Same again this morning... plus looks like an Indian Takeaway last night kicked me out of ketosis. Only had tandoori meat and salad

Anyway, going to try what I said and see if it shifts.

Just had some fried eggs and streaky bacon.

SD xx

 

[spottydoris]

Happy Sunday everybody!

Bit of good news, was 12st 10.5lbs this morning. Woowoooo! Finally some movement! Again, not going to record my losses unless they are official Friday weigh in losses. Just a relief to see the scale showing something ANYTHING other than 12st 12 sodding lbs. Lol. << can't believe I'd ever be upset being this weight back when I was several stone heavier, weird how things change. Lol.

Not had lunch yet (oops!), so just cooking up some hard boiled eggs to have with some ham, cheese and lettuce. Nom!

Off out tonight on a rare night out with my OH and some friends. Going to have a diet coke and listen to a local singer/songwriter chap sing some songs.

SD xx


Xx

 

[Kat1e]

Hi Anna
Enjoy your night out
xx

 

[JCH_WK72]

Have a great night SD and well done on some movement. If you try the Epsom salts, just put a couple of tsp in a small glass of water and drink straight down. They are like Andrews, but no citric acid or additives, so purely natural. You can bathe in them too to detox the skin. My gran used to swear by her salts lol.

 

[Alpaca]

Well done SD! I know what it's like to see the same number on the scales day after day! It gets SO boring and frustrating !!

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Well done on the kick start hun. x

 

[Jim]

Morning Anna, well done on the kick start indeed

 

[lucy4loop]

Yay! Good news on the movement (ahem, scale movement)

 

[Kat1e]

Afternoon Spotty. Hope all going well
Xx

 

[spottydoris]

Hey hey


Sorry I've been so quiet on here - been a busy weekend!

All going fine with Atkins - think I've got my head around the foods I need to avoid to get the weight moving.


Another thing I had noticed was that I was having around 6 sweetener tablets a day (three in my creamy coffee) - which should be counted as 6g carbs. Hadn't been counting these in my allocation. Have now cut these back to 2 in coffee and 1 in tea, limited to one cup a day (either tea or coffee). I have also stopped the Atkins bars for the last few days and am only having sf jelly in the evening as my treat - with squirty cream. Bought the wrong one at the supermarket - this one has sugar in (eek!), so I am counting the carbs and keeping an eye on my losses. I only have one big squirt each day on my jelly and use the sugar free stuff for my coffee at work. If I stall again I will be sure to stop this, but I seem to be dark purple and losing at the moment - slowly but surely.


This morning I was 12st 10.5lbs again (back to where I was two weeks ago) - already two down since last Friday... so hoping for another 1lb off by this Friday... therefore getting me down to my lowest so far.

Here's hoping!


Off to a Pilates class tonight. Used to go religiously, but then got diagnosed with my back issues and was told that pilates really wasn't going to help remedy the pain - so I stopped. At that point I was paying to do the classes elsewhere as my gym didn't do them. Now I have joined a new gym where the classes are included, so I am off there tonight to get back into it. It may not help my back, but it should certainly help tone and firm up my tummy! Really looking forward to it.


Other than that, I have to say I've been quite low over the last 24 hours. Something stupid set me off last night (undercooking my pork chops!) and I just lost the plot and got really grumpy. I think I have figured out the source of my problem though - ready?


I left home quite young to study (16) and moved into my own house at 19 (quickly followed by my first feline acquisition!), by 21 I was on the property ladder (second cat came along) and from that point on I was independent and living under my own steam. Last year I sold the house I'd lived in for about 8 years, and moved to a rented property where I stayed for 6 months until I moved in with my other half earlier this year. At that point I put all my belongings in storage, moved my two cats to my mum's house on a temporary basis, and descended on OH with just my clothes, a table, a lamp and some sofa throws... everything else I just packed away.


We are now about 6 months in and I am feeling more and more low and bored. My OH has a lot going on with his music and hobbies (which I am super supportive of), but it has just highlighted how little I have going on in my own life. I basically have my work, the gym I go to a few times a week, and my OH. I cook, I clean, I watch films, I sleep. My every waking hour is either spent thinking about work or him. I don't have anything else really to occupy my thoughts.


We are moving into a house in November and I am going to get my "stuff" back. All the stuff that has made me 'me', and shaped the life I've had. Simple things like not having my cats around, not having the piano to go and tinkle on, not having my books and art stuff etc etc... it has made me feel really flat.


So, I am SO excited about moving in and getting "me" back - and hopefully 'less' of me at that!! ;-)


Certain parts of my life (namely my love life) are perfect, but I don't feel like a full version of myself at the moment so the new house will be the icing on the cake


SD xx

 

[Quak]

My heart goes out to you, I really hope that getting all your things back round you will bring the real you back - it is a very very lovely thought xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Alpaca]

You have done so well to keep to a diet with all that going on ! I'd have found it too hard to focus! Well done!

 

[lucy4loop]

Hi Doris
I had loads of boxes of stuff packed away from when my ex and I moved in together which never made it back into our home. When we separated last year I got all the boxes down and put all the "me" things back around me, it was like coming home. It should be like the last piece of the puzzle for you xx

 

[Kat1e]

Hi SD, sounds like something really nice to look forward to. Is there anything else you can pick up in between to give you a boost (things or hobbies)?
Xxx